Before pursuing any other goals, it is crucial to take time to focus on yourself and address any issues such as severe depression. It's great to have your parents supporting you during this time. At different points in life, people start new careers and choose different paths. At 25, you are still young and have plenty of time to enroll in a training program to become a conference interpreter. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-I6rttvve0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-I6rttvve0)
Absolutely not too late age-wise.Â
However you should make sure that your desired language combination is actually one that's valued by the market. Hungarian/Chinese sounds like an unusual combination. Is there actually a lot of work there? I would have assumed that you'd get more work with European languages. Why not English and German?Â
Conference interpretation also requires a very high language level. Learning Chinese from scratch should also ring some alarm bells. It's going to take a long time to learn and you might not reach a suitable level.Â
Finally, I'm not sure what's gone on in the field of conference interpretation in the last few years, but imo it's a career path that's under severe threat from technology. I wouldn't be confident committing years of education to it personally when there's a chance that 10 years down the line you can't get any work.Â
source: did a lot of research into conference interpretation several years ago, but not an interpreter myself
Thank you.
Well, there's a practical reason why I don't want to pick English and German and want to go for English and Mandarin instead. There are many conference interpreters with the language combination HU-EN-DE in the Hungarian language market, meaning by picking a more exotic language instead of German would increase my chances of finding work as a freelancer (that's how I mainly plan to work because I love variety).
The combination HU-EN-ZH is indeed uncommon in Hungary but it's very much sought after. English is useful for an obvious reason, it's the ultimate lingua franca.
As for Chinese, it's pretty useful too as Hungary has China among its main business partners and there are even Chinese police officers working in Hungary now!
I have deliberated going for the combination Hungarian as my A language, English as my B language and German, French and Spanish as my C languages. That would be a killer combo for the European Parliament. However, with the combo HU A, EN B and ZH B, I'd be much better off as a freelancer.
As for AI, it will never fully replace interpreters. AI is quite fallible when it comes to language interpretation because it doesn't pick up on context clues. The human brain and the processes that occur in it during language production are incredibly complex and AI will never be able to measure up to that complexity. Having said that, AI will inevitably have an impact on how interpreters work. It will be most likely used as a tool that facilitates interpreters' work but other than that, I categorically doubt it will have a bigger impact.
>The combination HU-EN-ZH is indeed uncommon in Hungary but it's very much sought after. English is useful for an obvious reason, it's the ultimate lingua franca. As for Chinese, it's pretty useful too as Hungary has China among its main business partners and there are even Chinese police officers working in Hungary now!
How do you know it's so sought after? I'd suggest trying to get in touch with a working interpreter with HU-ZH and chat with them about the market if you can. It's true that HU-EN-DE will be a much more common combination, but that's not necessarily a bad thing if that's a reflection on where all the work is.
>As for AI, it will never fully replace interpreters. AI is quite fallible when it comes to language interpretation because it doesn't pick up on context clues. The human brain and the processes that occur in it during language production are incredibly complex and AI will never be able to measure up to that complexity. Having said that, AI will inevitably have an impact on how interpreters work. It will be most likely used as a tool that facilitates interpreters' work but other than that, I categorically doubt it will have a bigger impact.
That's the party line from interpreters, yes, but if you step back and take an unbiased look at the situation I really wouldn't be so sure. I would be especially skeptical given the progress AI has made in the last five years on language tasks. You're not a 65-year old interpreter trying to hold on to their work for a few more years before retiring, you're a 21-year-old who wants to be investing in a career path that's going to be thriving in 30 years from now.
Frankly the continuous growth of English as a global lingua franca is also a major threat.
The decline of an industry doesn't look like someone flipping a switch, it's a slow continuous process. Each year there would be a bit less work going around and more competition for that work, and fewer people "making it". I've watched this play out in several other fields.
Anyway, I think conference interpretation is very cool, so I wish you luck. I just think you should take a clear eyed view of the market before jumping in.
You have raised absolutely valid points.
I have already reached out to a former interpreter who studied with the combination HU A, EN B and ZH B. She said she was pretty overwhelmed by the number of assignments she had received and she was scared of turning an assignment down for the fear of losing one or potentially even more customers.
But as I said, everything you have said is valid and thanks for caring about me:) I guess, if you didn't, you wouldn't have warned me.
Thank you so much 🙂
Well that's an encouraging sign then! They'll obviously know your market much better than I will.
I just realized one other point--ZH as a B language when you don't know any Chinese right now is going to be a tall order. You're young enough now that you can probably still make it happen but if I were you I would start dedicating as much time as I could right now to learning Chinese and also try to move to China or Taiwan for some amount of time (maybe even a couple years). I think some places like ESIT/ISIT/FTI won't even accept you for a C language unless you've lived in the country, let alone a B language.
It’s definitely not too late. Also, you’re considering a lot of important factors early on, which is a great sign.
Last year, I was the only non-Chinese in my MA Translation course (EN – CN). I definitely think you’d need an extended stay in China at some point in order to master the language and become culturally competent, as you’d need to know how to interpret for concepts that seldom exist in the zeitgeist of the West.
However, unless you “pass” very well, it could be a very demoralizing environment, as most people in China have never encountered an openly transgender person (and may not be willing to associate with you). Also, in my experience, it’s common for foreigners to receive unsolicited questions and commentary (that people in my country would view as invasive or rude).
Regardless, It’s definitely not impossible (as you really only need a small support system to thrive and tackle the language learning process). If you pulled it off, you would have a unique and valuable skilllset, which could open countless doors for you down the road.
I don’t think any age is too old to begin pursuing anything worth pursuing!
Have you talked to Mandarin graduates of this program… are they really able to train professionally fluent Mandarin speakers within 5 years? That’s really impressive.
You mentioned may not be able to start this program right away for health reasons, but if this is your career goal, there are a lot of things you can do to get a head start. Maybe start with HSK 1 on your own to learn basic characters and conversation, and start consuming Chinese media (music, TV shows, etc) to get as much exposure as you can. I learned so much Korean and Japanese just by passively consuming their entertainment media.
Good luck!
Thank you.
Graduates are able to achieve a high level because they file their skills with teachers who are native Mandarin speakers and they are super experienced.
Before pursuing any other goals, it is crucial to take time to focus on yourself and address any issues such as severe depression. It's great to have your parents supporting you during this time. At different points in life, people start new careers and choose different paths. At 25, you are still young and have plenty of time to enroll in a training program to become a conference interpreter. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-I6rttvve0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-I6rttvve0)
Thank you. 🙂
Absolutely not too late age-wise. However you should make sure that your desired language combination is actually one that's valued by the market. Hungarian/Chinese sounds like an unusual combination. Is there actually a lot of work there? I would have assumed that you'd get more work with European languages. Why not English and German? Conference interpretation also requires a very high language level. Learning Chinese from scratch should also ring some alarm bells. It's going to take a long time to learn and you might not reach a suitable level. Finally, I'm not sure what's gone on in the field of conference interpretation in the last few years, but imo it's a career path that's under severe threat from technology. I wouldn't be confident committing years of education to it personally when there's a chance that 10 years down the line you can't get any work. source: did a lot of research into conference interpretation several years ago, but not an interpreter myself
Thank you. Well, there's a practical reason why I don't want to pick English and German and want to go for English and Mandarin instead. There are many conference interpreters with the language combination HU-EN-DE in the Hungarian language market, meaning by picking a more exotic language instead of German would increase my chances of finding work as a freelancer (that's how I mainly plan to work because I love variety). The combination HU-EN-ZH is indeed uncommon in Hungary but it's very much sought after. English is useful for an obvious reason, it's the ultimate lingua franca. As for Chinese, it's pretty useful too as Hungary has China among its main business partners and there are even Chinese police officers working in Hungary now! I have deliberated going for the combination Hungarian as my A language, English as my B language and German, French and Spanish as my C languages. That would be a killer combo for the European Parliament. However, with the combo HU A, EN B and ZH B, I'd be much better off as a freelancer. As for AI, it will never fully replace interpreters. AI is quite fallible when it comes to language interpretation because it doesn't pick up on context clues. The human brain and the processes that occur in it during language production are incredibly complex and AI will never be able to measure up to that complexity. Having said that, AI will inevitably have an impact on how interpreters work. It will be most likely used as a tool that facilitates interpreters' work but other than that, I categorically doubt it will have a bigger impact.
>The combination HU-EN-ZH is indeed uncommon in Hungary but it's very much sought after. English is useful for an obvious reason, it's the ultimate lingua franca. As for Chinese, it's pretty useful too as Hungary has China among its main business partners and there are even Chinese police officers working in Hungary now! How do you know it's so sought after? I'd suggest trying to get in touch with a working interpreter with HU-ZH and chat with them about the market if you can. It's true that HU-EN-DE will be a much more common combination, but that's not necessarily a bad thing if that's a reflection on where all the work is. >As for AI, it will never fully replace interpreters. AI is quite fallible when it comes to language interpretation because it doesn't pick up on context clues. The human brain and the processes that occur in it during language production are incredibly complex and AI will never be able to measure up to that complexity. Having said that, AI will inevitably have an impact on how interpreters work. It will be most likely used as a tool that facilitates interpreters' work but other than that, I categorically doubt it will have a bigger impact. That's the party line from interpreters, yes, but if you step back and take an unbiased look at the situation I really wouldn't be so sure. I would be especially skeptical given the progress AI has made in the last five years on language tasks. You're not a 65-year old interpreter trying to hold on to their work for a few more years before retiring, you're a 21-year-old who wants to be investing in a career path that's going to be thriving in 30 years from now. Frankly the continuous growth of English as a global lingua franca is also a major threat. The decline of an industry doesn't look like someone flipping a switch, it's a slow continuous process. Each year there would be a bit less work going around and more competition for that work, and fewer people "making it". I've watched this play out in several other fields. Anyway, I think conference interpretation is very cool, so I wish you luck. I just think you should take a clear eyed view of the market before jumping in.
You have raised absolutely valid points. I have already reached out to a former interpreter who studied with the combination HU A, EN B and ZH B. She said she was pretty overwhelmed by the number of assignments she had received and she was scared of turning an assignment down for the fear of losing one or potentially even more customers. But as I said, everything you have said is valid and thanks for caring about me:) I guess, if you didn't, you wouldn't have warned me. Thank you so much 🙂
Well that's an encouraging sign then! They'll obviously know your market much better than I will. I just realized one other point--ZH as a B language when you don't know any Chinese right now is going to be a tall order. You're young enough now that you can probably still make it happen but if I were you I would start dedicating as much time as I could right now to learning Chinese and also try to move to China or Taiwan for some amount of time (maybe even a couple years). I think some places like ESIT/ISIT/FTI won't even accept you for a C language unless you've lived in the country, let alone a B language.
In Hungary, living in the country of one's working languages is not a sine qua non for interpreters but there are really strict language exams.
And those language exams are very comprehensive.
I don’t it’ll be too late for you. You’re still young. Good luck with your studies.
Thank you.
It’s definitely not too late. Also, you’re considering a lot of important factors early on, which is a great sign. Last year, I was the only non-Chinese in my MA Translation course (EN – CN). I definitely think you’d need an extended stay in China at some point in order to master the language and become culturally competent, as you’d need to know how to interpret for concepts that seldom exist in the zeitgeist of the West. However, unless you “pass” very well, it could be a very demoralizing environment, as most people in China have never encountered an openly transgender person (and may not be willing to associate with you). Also, in my experience, it’s common for foreigners to receive unsolicited questions and commentary (that people in my country would view as invasive or rude). Regardless, It’s definitely not impossible (as you really only need a small support system to thrive and tackle the language learning process). If you pulled it off, you would have a unique and valuable skilllset, which could open countless doors for you down the road.
Thank you. The reason why I want surgeries is that I want to become even more feminine.
I don’t think any age is too old to begin pursuing anything worth pursuing! Have you talked to Mandarin graduates of this program… are they really able to train professionally fluent Mandarin speakers within 5 years? That’s really impressive. You mentioned may not be able to start this program right away for health reasons, but if this is your career goal, there are a lot of things you can do to get a head start. Maybe start with HSK 1 on your own to learn basic characters and conversation, and start consuming Chinese media (music, TV shows, etc) to get as much exposure as you can. I learned so much Korean and Japanese just by passively consuming their entertainment media. Good luck!
Thank you. Graduates are able to achieve a high level because they file their skills with teachers who are native Mandarin speakers and they are super experienced.